Cruise Money & Gratuities

Cruise pricing is designed to look simple until you’re on board — then come the gratuities, service charges, drink packages, and the daily math of what’s included versus what’s quietly extra. This section untangles cruise money: how automatic gratuities really work and what you can adjust, which packages pay off and which don’t, how onboard accounts and holds hit your credit card, and where the genuine savings hide. Clear numbers, current cruise line policies, and no judgment — just the full picture before the ship leaves the dock, so the final bill never surprises you.